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Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s directive for US federal employees to justify their jobs or face termination has met unexpected resistance from within the Trump administration. FBI Director Kash Patel, who took over the bureau’s leadership on Saturday, has instructed all FBI employees to “pause any responses” to Musk’s email ultimatum.
Patel reportedly told FBI personnel that their review process would be conducted internally and in line with bureau procedures. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses,” Patel wrote in an email to his staff.
Musk’s Ultimatum to Federal Workers
Musk, a key advisor to US President Donald Trump, announced on Saturday that all federal employees must account for their work or risk losing their jobs. His directive came just hours after Trump encouraged him to take a more aggressive stance in cutting government spending.
“Federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk posted.
The email, sent by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), was titled “What did you do last week?” and instructed employees to submit approximately five bullet points summarizing their accomplishments. The deadline was set for 11:59 PM on Monday. However, the message did not explicitly state that failing to reply would result in termination.
Musk, who has played a major role in efforts to reduce the federal workforce, later softened his stance, writing that the bar for responses was “very low” and that “an email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable.”
Government Agencies Push Back
Several federal agencies advised employees not to respond to Musk’s email until further guidance was provided. The National Treasury Employees Union echoed this recommendation, urging caution.
A physician working for the Department of Veterans Affairs also dismissed the directive, saying, “I have so much work to do, I am not going to neglect actual patient care for this drama.”
The situation signals emerging power struggles within the Trump administration, particularly between Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and federal agencies pushing back against his aggressive government restructuring efforts.
Gill Bikram Singh